Coca-Cola invests $2 billion in India

Coca-Cola India announced a USD $2 billion investment in the country’s system beginning in 2010 for the next five years. The investment is designed to further capture the opportunity in the non-alcohol ready-to-drink (NARTD) beverage market in the country.

India is a strategic growth country for The Coca-Cola Co., ranking among its Top 10 markets in volume globally and is the largest market in the Eurasia and Africa Group, the company says.

“India is one of our most important growth markets as we work toward our 2020 Vision of doubling system revenues and servings this decade,” said Ahmet C. Bozer, Coca-Cola’s president of Eurasia and Africa Group, in a statement. “The opportunity in the packaged beverage segment is immense, and our efforts in India are focused on being the beverage of choice all day, every day. If we continue to do the right things each day and at all times, it would not surprise me if India becomes one of the top five markets for the company globally by the end of this decade.”

The Coca-Cola Co. and its bottling partners have robust plans to capture the growth opportunity for NARTD beverages in India including investments in innovation, consumer marketing and brand building, expansion of distribution and cold drink equipment placement as well as further development of manufacturing capacity to meet growing consumer demand, it says.

“This investment is a part of our long-term commitment to invest in innovation, partnerships and a portfolio of brands that will enable us to growth our business in a sustainable and responsible way,” said Atul Singh, president and chief executive officer of Coca-Cola India and South West Asia, in a statement. “In addition to our infrastructure and capabilities, the new investment will also focus on enhancing the consumer experience, building brand loyalty and contributing to environmental sustainability and community development. Our India business has been growing at a robust rate over the last five years, and our goal is to continue this growth momentum. The country’s demographics, economic and social parameters are all huge drivers of growth and we have to ensure that we capitalize on the opportunity.”

The Coca-Cola Co. has registered volume growth in India for the past 21 quarters, 15 of which have seen double-digit growth. The Coca-Cola system has already invested more than USD $2 billion in India since it re-entered the country in 1993. Currently, it directly employs more than 25,000 people and estimates it has created employment for more than 150,000 people in related industries.

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